Started out with a double stream ford, so I got nice and wet for my morning hike. The whole morning was spent hiking upstream on the Snake River, which turned out to be a bit boring. The whole area burned in the Yellowstone fire of ’88, so it was a bit bleak.
After lunch, we had a small climb – 1400 feet in one go, and it was surprisingly difficult. I think probably yesterday’s long miles caught up to me a bit. I had to take a couple 5 minute breaks, and my legs were just protesting the whole way up. It turned out to be totally worth it though! There were great views of the surrounding mountains and back towards the Tetons.
The descent from the plateau went my something neat called the Parting of the Waters. It’s a stream that splits right by the trail, one fork goes to the Pacific (1500 miles away) and the other to the Atlantic (3500 miles!). Very cool. From there the trail turns into a horse super-highway. It even has multiple lanes! I ended up pulling to the aide after a couple miles and calling it a night.
Daily Summary
Date: Aug 14, 2011
Day 51
Daily Distance: 29 miles
Trip Distance: 972.7 miles